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What is LAFHA?

It stands for the ‘Living Away From Home Allowance’ and is an Australian Tax Office (ATO) allowance that can be provided through employers to help their employees cover the additional costs of relocating and living away from their usual place of residence for employment.

Key Benefits

LAFHA allowances mean you pay less tax which increases your take home pay. For example, an annual salary of $100,000 can mean an extra $9,400* per annum in additional take home pay with LAFHA applied. LAFHA lets you:

Recoup the costs of relocation and other expenses incurred while living away from home
Receive more take home pay
Reward yourself and your family!

*This example is based upon averaged amounts.

Please note: Each individual’s circumstances are different and will therefore deliver different results.

Who Qualifies?

The broad criteria for eligibility is that the employee is incurring additional expense, is relocating for a temporary period of time and has the intent to move back to their original place of residence. The allowance can apply to:

Australian residents moving locations within Australia
Overseas long stay visa holders
Australians working overseas

The following are some of the criteria which may be applied to assess whether you are eligible for LAFHA - please use this as a guideline only, and let us help you fully assess your eligibility.

Distance of move
Type of occupation
Tax and or visa status
Minimum salary levels
Time before relocation
Length of relocation
Accommodation arrangements
Family situation
Intent to return to your original place of residence

How Do I Know If I'm Eligible?

We recommend you visit www.lafha.com.au and fill in the Free Assessment form - and you will be provided with a free initial assessment explaining whether you meet the criteria for LAFHA and if so, an indication of the financial benefits to you.